Cam Johnson’s night ended early in Denver’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers, and it took an elbow to Austin Reaves’ face to do it.
The Nuggets forward was ejected on Friday after officials reviewed the play and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 foul for what they ruled was “unnecessary and excessive” contact with Reaves’ face. It was Johnson’s first ejection of the season, and the call immediately drew plenty of attention because the hit didn’t look especially violent to some viewers. Reaves also appeared surprised by the ruling, while the reaction online split sharply over whether the play deserved an immediate ejection.
Before he walked off, Johnson stopped to shake hands with his teammates.
He had already put together a productive stretch before the early exit, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and 2-of-4 from three in 23 minutes. He also added three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Denver still got strong performances from its core pieces. Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists in 31 minutes, while Jamal Murray posted 21 points, three rebounds and six assists in the same amount of time. Christian Braun added 16 points and six rebounds, hitting 5-of-10 shots and knocking down two triples.
For the Lakers, Luka Doncic scored 15 points with four rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes. Reaves led Los Angeles with 19 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Nuggets closed preseason at 3-2 and now shift their focus to the 2026-27 NBA regular season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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